A close reading of Beowulf and the contradictions made...

The epic poem Beowulf contains contradictions about the heroic character of the protagonist Beowulf. Two certain passages in Beowulf, one at the beginning of the text and one near the end, offer evidence of inconsistencies within Beowulf s character. We must ask one question of the poem s protagonist: Is he really the hero he claims to be? Certain aspects of Beowulf s integrity, mainly his lies about people s perceptions of him, contradict the conventional classification of a hero. The legend of Beowulf begins with King Hrothgar, who is in a dilemma because Grendel, an evil monster, has been unremittingly attacking Heorot for twelve years. Beowulf, a warrior and thane of the Geat King Hygelac, hears of this and decides that he must go†¦show more content†¦Evidence of the true sentiments toward Beowulf from his kin can be seen when the poet writes he had been poorly regarded for a long time, was taken by the Geats for less than he was worth: and their lord too had never much esteemed him in the mead-hall(2183-2186). This sentence explains that Beowulf was not held in such high esteem as he would have liked. His decision to go to Heorot is an attempt to assert his worth to his family and people because they firmly believed he lacked force, that the prince was a weakling [...](2187-88). Beowulf, who holds Hygelac in high regard, wants to defeat Grendel to make Hygelac proud. If Beowulf is a weakling, how is it that he was the only one able to fight and defeat the indestructible Grendel? Beowulf somehow knows that it is his destiny to defeat Grendel, which may be the true reason for abruptly deciding to travel to Heorot. For twelve years, no one in Heorot could stop Grendel. They tried time and again to kill him by using any kind of weaponry they could forge. How is it that a newly arrived foreigner defeat Grendel without any armor or weapons? It must be because God had helped the hero. This is apparent in Beowulf s many references to God: Whichever one death fells must deem it a just judgment by God (440-41) and the Geat placed complete trust in his strength of limb in the Lord s favor (669-670). The Oxford English dictionary defines a hero as a man distinguished by extraordinary valour andShow MoreRelatedThe Final Lines From Beowulf s Speech1804 Words   |  8 Pagesspeech when he asks Hrothgar for permission to fight Grendel (ll. 440-455). In these final lines Beowulf envisions the scene of Grendel’s victory. How does our translation use alliteration, assonance, and compound words to make vivid the nature of Grendel, the devastating effects of that possible victory, and the necessary acceptance of God’s will and the working of fate? S2 Answer #1 - Beowulf: Our translation almost seems to create key-words in the lines that contain alliteration and assonanceRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagestested by a seductive male Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · patriotism grows instills pride creates common agreement about issues shows differences between Americans and Europeans Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · tells readers how to interpret what they are reading to encourage Revolutionary War support instructive in values American Renaissance/Romanticism period of American Literature - 18001855 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · writing that can be interpreted 2 ways, on the surface for common folk or in depthRead MoreLiterary Devices in Pride and Prejudice8198 Words   |  33 Pagesideas, feelings, and emotions. The topicality of the theme is based on the growing interest on the study of the concept of stylistic devices of the English language. The novelty of the research is that the analyses of stylistic devices have been made on analyses of the novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†. It is necessary to tell, that the main aim of our work is analysis of lexical stylistic devices that are used in Jane Austen’s novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† as one of the peculiarities of the author’s